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Studio: Genius Products Inc Release Date: 12/31/2007 Run time: 90 minutes Rating: Pg13

The Winter Solstice series from Windham Hill is an appealing souvenir from the label's early days, when guitarist Will Ackerman still served as its chief guiding light and fount of original thought. For years Ackerman shunned the overt commercial trappings of traditional Christmas recordings and instead offered odes to a broader season that, like his artists' music, is compatible with periods of sustained, hushed contemplation. Winter Solstice II, released in 1988, mixes original and traditional compositions (none that specifically brings Christmas to mind) and is adorned with classical overtones from front to back, conveying the high-minded earthiness associated with the label's then all-acoustic format. A few pieces on the 50-minute disc clock in at under than two minutes, and a couple others are duds, yet several selections make this quiet disc a worthy listen: a handsome interpretation of Bach ("Prelude to Cello Suite No. 1") on harp-guitar by Michael Hedges, plus gorgeous, yearning piano solos by Philip Aaberg ("The Gift") and Michael Manring. Better known as a bassist, Manring's reworking of one of his own works, "Sung to Sleep," may be the disc's highlight. Ackerman's contribution, "Abide the Winter," and "Medieval Memory II" by the sadly disbanded duo of pianist Ira Stein and oboist Russell Walder, float through the air as beautifully as winter's first snowfall. --Terry Wood

The beginning of winter is marked by the solstice, the shortest day of the year. Long ago, people grew afraid when each day had fewer hours of sunshine than the day before. Over time, they realized that one day each year the sun started moving toward them again. In lyrical prose and cozy illustrations, this book explains what the winter solstice is and how it has been observed by various cultures throughout history. Many contemporary holiday traditions were borrowed from ancient solstice celebrations. Simple science activities, ideas for celebrating the day in school and at home, and a further-reading list are included.

Illustrated by Jesse Reisch.

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WINTER SOLSTICE tells the tale of small steps taken in the aftermath of family loss. Landscape gardener Jim Winters (LaPaglia) is a quiet craftsman, a soft-spoken man who prefers an orderly life. His family, however, is anything but orderly. Older son Gabe (Stanford) is planning his escape to Florida, leaving behind any shot at a stable future with his girlfriend. Younger son Pete (Webber) has retreated into a private world of anger, drift and disappointment. It is only when he meets his new neighbor, Molly (Janney), that Jim finds a way to deal with his own life and his family’s future.

Title aside, Winter Solstice is set in the spring and summer of a small, pretty, and dull Northeastern town. Anthony LaPaglia eases comfortably into the role of a widower anxious about his two teenage boys growing up and slipping away from him in Josh Sternfeld's low-key drama. While the eldest (Aaron Stanford) yearns for something more, or at least something different, his younger brother (Mark Webber) is the poster child for underachievers: Unfocused and distracted, wound up yet unmotivated. Sternfeld creates a lovely texture of naturalism and the boys create a convincing brotherly vibe in shared glances and private jokes, but the lulling rhythms take over the film, even when Allison Janney arrives with her low-key nervous energy. --Sean Axmaker